Porter passes amendment increasing financial transparency at Miami Correctional Facility

Today, Feb. 10, State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) successfully amended Senate Bill 76. Porter’s amendment requires the Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC) to report how much money was spent or made from its 287(g) agreement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The report must include information about the $15.79 million allocated for the detention center at Miami Correctional Facility. 

Porter released the following statement: 

“This is about fiscal oversight and transparency. Republicans opened the budget and gave the IDOC $15.8 million for a detention center. That money could have been spent on the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) or the other waiver waitlists. We need an update on how that money is being spent, especially since it’s in partnership with ICE. 

“We’re watching ICE violate people’s constitutional rights on the national news. Every dollar the state spends on that organization needs oversight. I don’t want this to be like the IEDC, where Republicans give millions away and have no interest in following the paper trail.

“To me, the most frightening thing is that the state could profit from this agreement. The state is relying on the number of detainees and the per diem rate for reimbursement. It’s an incentive to lock up as many people as possible to get as much money as possible. 

“We have a responsibility to be good fiscal stewards with taxpayers' money. I’m grateful Republicans chose transparency today.”